Inadequate survey

A home with apparently no problems is actually slowly sliding into the front lawn.

Before he bought what he thought was his dream home, Theo had a structural survey conducted by a chartered surveyor just to make sure that there were no hidden demons lurking out or sight. The surveyor declared a clean bill of health for the property, just as the previous owners had claimed, so Theo went ahead with the purchase. When he moved in he decided to redecorate he discovered that the previous occupants had papered over massive cracks in the front wall. A second survey diagnosed significant subsidence. This required major structural work that Theo had to claim on his insurance and it was a full 18 months till the home could be properly decorated. In the end the insurance company sued the council as the subsidence was caused by a tree whose roots sucked up enough water for the ground beneath the house to sink.